Issue Brief: Black Maternal Mental Health

December 11, 2023 by Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health

Chronic stress from racism, rather than race, is a risk factor for maternal mental health disorders. Chronic stress and higher levels of lifetime exposure to trauma increase adverse health and mental health outcomes for Black women, culminating in even higher levels of stress.

Discrimination, racism, and inequities in the maternity care system greatly increase the risk for maternal mental health disorders for Black women. Policy recommendations include increasing Black and BIPOC providers, utilizing non-clinical professionals such as peer support specialists and community health workers, and supporting community-based organizations.

July is BIPOC Mental Health Month

July 13, 2021 by 2020 Mom in EMERGING CONSIDERATIONS

Formally recognized by the U.S. House of Representatives in June 2008 (and currently designated as), Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month was created to bring awareness to the unique struggles that underrepresented groups face regarding mental illness in the US. As an American author, journalist, teacher, and mental health advocate, Bebe Moore Campbell worked tirelessly to shed light on the mental health needs of the Black community and other underrepresented communities.

Why “BIPOC” Replaced “Minority” this July

July 30, 2020 by Joy Burkhard, MBA in EMERGING CONSIDERATIONS

July was first declared as National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in 2008, but this year the mental health advocacy community began adopting a new empowering term “Black, Indigenous and People of Color.”

Mental Health America explains the change as follows:

“The continued use of “minority or marginalized” sets up BIPOC communities in terms of their quantity instead of their quality and removes their personhood…The word “minority” also emphasizes the power differential between “majority” and “minority” groups and can make BIPOC feel as though “minority” is synonymous with inferiority.